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Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News Archive - May 2026
IDSA Warns of Escalating U.S. Measles Threat
May 28, 2026 - By Ethan Covey - Infectious Disease Special Edition (IDSE) - Cases Far Above Historical Levels
Large measles outbreaks in the United States, Canada, and Mexico are raising concern among infectious disease experts, who warn that declining vaccination rates, gaps in public health capacity, and limited clinical familiarity with measles are allowing the once-eliminated disease to spread.
45 Years In, We’re Not Done Yet: NMAC Convenes National Advocacy Roundtable on Capitol Hill to Defend HIV Funding
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, May 28, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ - NMAC - Forty-five years after the CDC first reported what would become known as HIV/AIDS, NMAC (formerly the National Minority AIDS Council) will convene national HIV leaders, long-term survivors, public health experts, business partners, and congressional champions for a National Advocacy Roundtable on Capitol Hill focused on sustaining the HIV response and shaping the next chapter.
The high-profile roundtable, hosted in partnership with the Congressional HIV Caucus, Equality Caucus, and the Democratic Task Force on Aging and Families, will take place on Thursday, June 4, 2026, from 9-10:30am at the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2075. The gathering comes ahead of HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day (June 5) and during a critical appropriations season, as proposed federal cuts threaten HIV prevention, surveillance, research, housing, and other programs that people living with HIV rely on.
CAR-T Therapy Shows Promise for HIV
May 28, 2026 - By Liz Highleyman - POZ - Best known as a treatment for cancer, engineered T cells might lead to a functional cure, or durable HIV remission after stopping antiretrovirals.
A one-time infusion of CAR-T therapy using engineered T cells that target HIV appears safe and led to delayed viral rebound or sustained viral suppression in a small early study presented at the American Society of Cell and Gene Therapy annual meeting this month in Boston. This approach is in its early stages, however, and years of further research lie ahead.
Read more...
Then, Now, Next - 40 Years of HIV
27 May 2026 - KING's COLLEGE LONDON - Professors Melanie Abas, Richard Harding and Michael Malim discussed the last 40 years of HIV research and the significance of continuing to research this virus and their hope for the future.
The virus that we now know as HIV was not originally discovered under that name.
As the AIDS crisis emerged, in 1983 three groups of researchers managed to isolate the virus that caused it and in May 1986 it was officially named as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). This marked a turning point that paved the way for antiretroviral treatment.
A lot of progress has been made in the last four decades and some of our academics have been at the forefront of patient care and academic research on HIV/AIDS. In our new short film, marking the anniversary, we speak to three of our senior staff who have all had first-hand experience of working in the field.
PrEP-ping T cells for HIV exposure
May 27, 2026 - By A Person - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center - From the Lund Lab, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division
Nearly half a century after its emergence as a recognized global health crisis, HIV remains a major challenge. UNAIDS estimates that in 2024, there were 40.8 million people living with HIV worldwide, and over 1 million people newly acquired HIV. Despite major advances in treatment, a protective vaccine and functional cure remain out of reach.
In recent years, the uptake of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has revolutionized HIV prevention. By taking PrEP, people at greater risk of HIV acquisition can reduce the chances of viral transmission by up to 70%. PrEP consists of the same drugs used for HIV treatment, which work by blocking the spread of the virus between cells. In people living with HIV, this suppresses the virus in the body and reduces virus-related health issues, allowing them to live long and healthy lives. It is presumed that PrEP prevents the establishment of HIV infection by blocking early viral replication in people exposed to the virus. However, there is limited research confirming this or investigating other mechanisms of how PrEP may protect against HIV.
How a health clinic in South Africa is navigating Trump’s cuts to HIV funding
May 27, 2026 - NPR - Community health programs in South Africa have been heavily impacted by U.S. cuts to global aid. Which means there are fewer community and health workers to support low-income people with HIV and AIDS.
We recently visited one of those programs, called We Care, to learn more about the experiences of the few employees who still remain.
Listen...
AIDS activists mark 45 years with week of health advocacy
May 27, 2026 - by John Ferrannini - BAY AREA REPORTER - As the Bay Area and the world remember the grim milestone of 45 years since the first reported cases of what later became known as AIDS, longtime activists are planning a seven-day campaign to call attention to cuts to health services. That includes funds for HIV/AIDS services, as well as healthcare in general.
“Seven Days in June,” from June 1-7, is the brainchild of Cleve Jones, a gay man living with HIV known for co-founding the AIDS Memorial Quilt and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Jones said he was inspired to draw public attention to the defunding of health services after Elon Musk, then-senior adviser to President Donald Trump, famously wielded a chainsaw in the air on a stage as the administration abruptly slashed foreign aid — including to people’s life-saving HIV medications.
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ECDC increases activities as Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda intensifies
May 27, 2026 - European Centre for Disease Prevention (ECDC) - As the Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda develops rapidly, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is ratcheting up its support on the ground, while continuing to emphasise that the risk of infection to the general population in Europe remains very low.
The current outbreak is of serious concern, and is in many ways not comparable with previous Ebola outbreaks. The highly complex situation in the affected region makes it considerably more difficult to take effective countermeasures. The circumstances are made still more challenging by the fact that this outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, for which there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment.
HIV is an emergency in Manitoba but what is the province doing about it?
May 25, 2026 - By Sav Jonsa - APTN News - The Manitoba government has declared a public health emergency over the province’s rising HIV transmission rates, but some advocates worry the announcement may end up being all talk and no action.
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Exclusive: Trump admin shutting key US researchers out of global virus response talks, documents and sources reveal
May 25, 2026 - By Sarah Owermohle - CNN - Key officials responsible for leading US research on infectious disease threats have been barred from speaking directly with the World Health Organization — effectively shutting some of them out of the global discussions on virus outbreaks, according to documents and multiple sources who spoke to CNN.
The Trump administration issued the directive stopping individuals at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from communicating with the WHO.
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US voters support HIV/Aids relief – will Trump’s cuts backfire in the midterms?
24 May 2026 - By Melody Schreiber - The Guardian - Global Pepfar program has long had Republican leadership and bipartisan support, but initiative is under fire
Epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist Vadim Pokrovsky, one of the country’s leading experts on HIV/AIDS and a key figure in the Soviet and Russian response to the epidemic, has died at the age of 71, public health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said Wednesday.
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Study suggests diet-derived compound could repair gut damage caused by HIV
May 22, 2026- By Leslie Tate - Tulane University - For many people living with HIV, today’s treatments can suppress the virus and dramatically improve health. But even when HIV is controlled, damage to the gut caused by the disease can persist, fueling chronic inflammation linked to serious health problems. A new Tulane University study published in JCI Insight helps explains why.
Researchers found that long-term antiretroviral treatments did not fully restore key immune functions that protect and repair the gut lining. The study also found early evidence that diet-derived compounds found in vegetables from the mustard family, such as broccoli and cabbage, may help support immune activity involved in gut repair.
Poll highlights Americans’ uneven knowledge of STI prevention, treatment
May 22, 2026 - Mary Van Beusekom, MS - CIDRAP - Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy - University of Minnesota - While 75% to 95% of Americans know that diseases such as human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and genital herpes are sexually transmitted, gaps in knowledge about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain, including whether there are vaccines against them.
Those findings, from a poll by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) at the University of Pennsylvania, underscore the need for more education against a backdrop of elevated and rising rates of some STIs, the authors say.
$20 Million Raised to Support Innovative Research at 32nd Edition of amfAR Gala Cannes
Antibes, France – May 22, 2026 - amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research - Geena Davis Hosted
Robbie Williams, Zara Larsson, and Lizzo Performed
Presented by Chopard
On Thursday night, amfAR raised $20 million, the highest total since 2016, to support lifesaving biomedical research at the 32nd edition of amfAR Gala Cannes. The black-tie gala, which took place at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, was hosted by Academy Award-winning actor Geena Davis, and featured captivating performances by iconic multi-Brit Award-winning artist Robbie Williams, Grammy-nominated artist Zara Larsson, and Grammy and Emmy winner Lizzo. The evening also included dinner, a live auction of one-of-a kind luxury items and contemporary art, and a fashion show curated by Carine Roitfeld.
HIV Is Not Out of Control—But the World Is at a Dangerous Tipping Point
May 21, 2026 - By Frank Ayim Damptey - Modern Ghana - The global fight against HIV has made undeniable progress over the past three decades. But as of 2024–2025, that progress is no longer accelerating—it is stalling. The world hasn’t lost control of HIV, but it is standing at a fragile tipping point where gains could either be consolidated or reversed.
What the World Has Brought Under Control
Compared to the devastating peaks of the 1990s and early 2000s, the situation today is far more manageable.
By the end of 2024, an estimated 40.8 million people were living with HIV worldwide. Annual new infections have fallen to 1.3 million, representing a 40% decline since 2010 and a 61% drop from the 1996 peak. Even more striking, AIDS-related deaths have dropped to 630,000, down 54% since 2010 and 70% since their peak in 2004.
The driving force behind this progress is treatment. About 32 million people are now on life-saving antiretroviral therapy, enabling them to live longer, healthier lives. Crucially, when treatment suppresses the virus to undetectable levels, it also prevents transmission—turning HIV from a fatal diagnosis into a manageable condition.
By historical standards, this is control.
Where Progress Is Slipping
Despite these gains, the momentum has slowed—and in some areas, it is faltering.
Rami Malek Nearly Passed on AIDS-Era ‘The Man I Love’ Fearing Freddie Mercury Comparisons
24 May 2026 - By Jada Yuan - THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER - Malek almost passed on Ira Sachs’ AIDS-era Cannes drama 'The Man I Love,' fearing comparisons to his Oscar-winning turn as Freddie Mercury in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’
Rami Malek almost turned the down his role in Ira Sach’s The Man I Love, as a gay, singing performance artist in 1980s New York at the height of the AIDS crisis, because he worried he’d be accused of self-plagiarizing his Oscar-winning role as Freddie Mercury in 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
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Russian HIV/AIDS Pioneer Vadim Pokrovsky Dies at 71
May 21, 2026 - The Moscow Times - Epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist Vadim Pokrovsky, one of the country’s leading experts on HIV/AIDS and a key figure in the Soviet and Russian response to the epidemic, has died at the age of 71, public health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said Wednesday.
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Bacterial STIs reach record highs in Europe, and congenital syphilis cases nearly double
Stockholm, 21 May 2026 - European Centre for Disease Prevention (ECDC) - New data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) show that sexually transmitted infections reached record levels across Europe in 2024, driven by sharp rises in gonorrhoea and syphilis, and widening gaps in testing and prevention. Targeted action is urgently needed to prevent further spread, including among women of reproductive age.
The latest Annual Epidemiological Reports from ECDC indicate a surge in bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) across Europe. In 2024, notifications of gonorrhoea and syphilis, alongside congenital syphilis, reached their highest levels in over a decade, reflecting sustained transmission across multiple countries.
The data for 2024 show that gonorrhoea cases reached 106 331, representing a 303% increase since 2015. Syphilis cases more than doubled over the same period to 45 577 cases. Chlamydia remains the most requently reported STI with 213 443 cases. Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) also continued to see ongoing transmission, with 3 490 reported cases.
WACO Theater Center Launches Southern Tour of “Still Here Live Experience,” A Powerful Immersive Work Centering Black Women Living with HIV & AIDS
LOS ANGELES, May 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- WACO THEATRE CENTER - Rooted in WACO Theater Center's mission to use the arts to empower and inspire communities across the diaspora, STILL HERE LIVE EXPERIENCE transforms a community cultural space into an immersive storytelling salon for reflection, dialogue, and connection. The project illuminates the complexities of Black women's experiences with HIV/AIDS while amplifying voices too often underrepresented in public discourse.
Conceived, developed, and produced by Creative Directors williambryantmiles (Assistant Professor of Black Performance, Purchase College) and Nickolas Vaughan (producer, We're Here), the experience is presented in non-traditional performance spaces and honors the longstanding role of the hair salon as a space of community, connection, and cultural exchange among Black women. Inspired by first-person narratives, the work unfolds in two parts: an interactive installation and a live performance.
Greater risk of schizophrenia among people with HIV – especially those who inject drugs
May 20, 2026 - By Krishen Samuel - aidsmap - While the risk of being diagnosed with schizophrenia was higher among all people with HIV in a large Danish cohort, those who acquired HIV through injecting drug use were at a much higher risk. This research also highlights the complex familial factors that may play a role in being diagnosed with schizophrenia.
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Global study of HIV variants underscores challenges for vaccine development
May 19, 2026 - Oxford Population Health - The largest-ever study mapping genetic variants of HIV-1 around the world over the past 35 years shows that the regional distribution of different subtypes of the virus continues to evolve, posing a challenge to prevention and treatment efforts.
As of 2024, an estimated 40.8 million people are living with HIV, a virus that attacks the body’s immune system and, if left untreated, leads to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Although antiretroviral therapy has improved life expectancy and reduced HIV transmission, 630,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses and 1.3 million people became newly infected in 2024. Cuts to international funding in 2025 threaten to reverse gains made in recent years, heightening the need for an effective HIV vaccine that can offer universal protection.
UCT researcher leads international effort to improve chronic disease care
19 May 2026 - University of Cape Town - The University of Cape Town (UCT) is among the institutions leading two major projects focusing on implementation science for health systems strengthening in the context of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Funded under the 10th 2025 South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and Global Alliance for Chronic Disease (GACD) funding call, $400 000 is invested in health research to assess strategies for supporting health systems and improving equity in outcomes of NCDs care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
The first project will explore how strengthening care pathways can improve patient outcomes at primary care level. The STRIDES project, led by Associate Professor Peter Delobelle from UCT and Dr Tilahun Haregu from The Baker Institute, will strengthen primary healthcare teams in South Africa and Uganda to deliver integrated, people-centred care for chronic diseases, creating a scalable model for other low- and middle-income countries.
Most teens don’t know they can receive confidential STI treatment
May 18, 2026 - By Sarah Boden - CIDRAP - Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy - University of Minnesota - Roughly half of new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) every year are among young adults and teens, and all states, to varying degrees, allow minors to independently access STI testing and treatment without a guardian's consent.
But a new study published today by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) shows that most adolescents don’t know they have the legal right to access this confidential treatment.
Mpox infections may outnumber diagnosed cases 33 to 1, study suggests
May 18, 2026 - By Laine Bergeson - CIDRAP - Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy - University of Minnesota - Asymptomatic mpox infections among men who have sex with men (MSM) may be far more common than previously recognized and could be playing a role in ongoing transmission, according to a study published last week in Nature Communications. Researchers estimate that actual infections may outnumber diagnosed cases by 33 to one.
The findings challenge the assumption that most mpox cases are spread by people with symptoms.
HIV Vaccine Awareness Day 2026: African research leading the charge
May 18, 2026 - IAVI - International AIDS Vaccine Initiative - Celebrating the launch of landmark clinical trials IAVI G004, IAVI C114, and BRILLIANT 011.
May 18 marks HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (HVAD) in recognition of the tireless search for a tool that could help end one of the most complex public health threats of our time. In 2024 alone, approximately 1.3 million people acquired HIV and 630,000 people lost their lives to AIDS-related causes.[1] These numbers are estimated to have increased in the past year due to global HIV funding cuts, which have resulted in unprecedented disruptions to lifesaving treatment and care, education and community health programs, innovative research and clinical trials, and more.
A Symbolic HIV Funeral Protest
May 18, 2026 - By Save HIV Funding - POZ - The event included pallbearers and living obituaries.
Long-term HIV survivors, health advocates, community health providers and faith leaders gathered in Washington, DC, on March 16 to hold a symbolic funeral protest and celebration-of-life service to sound the alarm over the growing instability in HIV prevention and care funding across the United States and the impact on America’s national health care infrastructure.
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Children With HIV are Living Longer But Face a Rising Obesity Risk
May 18, 2026 - By Ann Kellett and Texas A&M University - POZ - Research exposes a critical gap in care for children living with HIV.
Advances in HIV treatment have transformed what was once a fatal diagnosis into a manageable chronic condition. Today, children living with HIV are surviving — and increasingly thriving — into adolescence and adulthood.
But that success has brought an unexpected and largely overlooked consequence: a rising risk of obesity. This risk is exacerbated by a common treatment for HIV, which prevents further spread of the virus but can also lead to weight gain.
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CDC Statement on the Use of Public Health Travel Restrictions to Prevent the Introduction of Ebola Disease into the United States
On May 18, 2026 - CDC - U.S.CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION - What to know
CDC, DHS, and other appropriate federal agencies implemented enhanced travel screening, entry restrictions, and public health measures to prevent Ebola disease from entering the United States amid ongoing outbreaks in East and Central Africa.
Vigil honours Edmontonians who died of HIV and AIDS
May 17, 2026 - By Angela Amato - CTV News - Dozens gathered at the Red Ribbon Building Sunday to remember Edmontonians who have died from HIV.
HIV Edmonton hosted International AIDS Candlelight Memorial in Honour of Lives Lost, and displayed several AIDS quilts in the space for the event.
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AIDS Walk New York 2026 brings thousands to Central Park for nation's largest HIV/AIDS fundraiser
May 17, 2026 - By Allen Devlin - CBS News - Thousands of people showed up bright and early for AIDS Walk New York 2026, the largest HIV and AIDS fundraiser in the U.S., in Central Park on Sunday.
It was a beautiful day to raise awareness at the 41st annual event in New York City hosted by GMHC.
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Condom use and associated factors among people living with HIV/AIDS on Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
May 16, 2026 - Nature - Abstract
Condom use remains a crucial preventive measure for individuals undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of condom use and the factors associated with it among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) on ART in Ethiopia. We conducted systematic searches across various databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase, and Cochrane Library, to identify relevant research articles. The review followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. We included cross-sectional studies from Ethiopia reporting condom use prevalence and associated factors among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Two authors independently extracted data using a standardized Microsoft Excel format, which was then analyzed in STATA 17. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I² test, and pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to examine the relationship between determinant factors and condom use. In this study, 1,360 articles were identified from various databases, and twelve were selected for the final systematic review and meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of condom use was 56% (95% CI: 51, 61). PLWHA who are married less likely to use condom (AOR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.66), urban residence was more likely to use condom (AOR = 2.63, 95% CI: 1.29, 3.97), and HIV status disclosure (AOR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.31) were significantly associated with condom use in Ethiopia. low percentage of respondents indicated that they use condoms. Marital status, urban residence, and receiving counseling about condom use, are associated with a higher probability of condom usage.
CU Anschutz: Research in Zimbabwe is shedding light on how diet can impact the health of people living with HIV
May 15, 2026 - by David DeBonis - University of Colorado Anschutz - A study conducted by researchers at CU Anschutz examines the effects of an agrarian vs. a ‘western’ diet.
Diet and microbiome are important factors to consider for people living with HIV (PLWH). Different dietary habits interact with different microbiome compositions, and thesevariables may mediate health outcomes for PLWH.
Catherine Lozupone, PhD, professor of biomedical informatics at the University of Colorado Anschutz (CU Anschutz), conducts extensive research on the interactions between the human microbiome, diet and disease. Lozupone has conducted research on how these interactions affect PLWH—specifically exploring how dietary habits and the composition of a person's microbiome can mediate health outcomes for PLWH.
From medieval plague ships to hantavirus: How outbreaks at sea helped to shape the international public health system
May 15, 2026 - The Conversation - Cruise ships are convenient floating hotels by which to see far-flung parts of the world – but as an epidemiologist, I know they are also everything an infectious pathogen could want: thousands of strangers packed into enclosed spaces for days or weeks, sharing dining rooms and high-touch surfaces such as elevator buttons and handrails, breathing recirculated air.
Each new port of call where passengers can explore for a few days is an opportunity for germs to embark – and once they do, they encounter a highly efficient setting for hopping from host to host.
The Last Gift: Turning Life’s Final Chapter Into Hope for an HIV Cure
May 14, 2026 - By Joyce Pritchett - UC SAN DIEGO TODAY - UC San Diego School of Medicine - Jim Dunn was generous. He was intelligent. He was kind. He was gentle. And he would do almost anything he could to help others. Even after his death on December 30, 2024, Jim’s generosity and compassion continue.
Jim and his wife, Susan Dickerson, were active participants in the Last Gift Study at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. The tissue-donation research study aims to understand the behavior of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) throughout the body.
“We know that HIV persists in tissues throughout the body, including the brain, lymph nodes, gut and other organs,” said Sara Gianella Weibel, MD, professor of medicine, “Through the Last Gift Study, participants volunteer to donate their tissues after death through a rapid research autopsy.” new report published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that the trend in HIV diagnoses in England have continued to fall, with England meeting the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets again — with 95% of people living with HIV having been diagnosed, 95% of those diagnosed receiving treatment, and 98% of people on treatment having suppressed viral loads, meaning the virus is undetectable in their blood.
The data is published as part of the HIV Action Plan monitoring and evaluation framework 2026 report, which uses 2024 data to set out where England stands on HIV prevention treatment and care to monitor progress towards the ambitions of the HIV Action Plan for England 2025 to 2030.
GMHC co-founder Dr. Lawrence Mass reflects on “truly groundbreaking” HIV/AIDS education effort
May 14, 2026 - By Arturo Chang - CBS News - The 41st annual AIDS Walk New York takes place this Sunday. The event helps raise awareness of those living with HIV and AIDS.
This year, the theme is “Walk Like An Icon.”
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New HIV report shows progress but inequalities persist in access to testing, PrEP and early diagnosis
May 14, 2026 - By Jessica Moore- GOV.UK - HIV testing uptake lowest among Black African heterosexual women in sexual health services
A new report published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that the trend in HIV diagnoses in England have continued to fall, with England meeting the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets again — with 95% of people living with HIV having been diagnosed, 95% of those diagnosed receiving treatment, and 98% of people on treatment having suppressed viral loads, meaning the virus is undetectable in their blood.
The data is published as part of the HIV Action Plan monitoring and evaluation framework 2026 report, which uses 2024 data to set out where England stands on HIV prevention treatment and care to monitor progress towards the ambitions of the HIV Action Plan for England 2025 to 2030.
Cohen among 3 Carolina faculty to receive faculty award for global excellence
May 13, 2026 - UNC GILLINGS SCHOOL OF GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH - Myron Cohen, MD, Yeargan-Bate Eminent Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and the UNC School of Medicine, is among three UNC-Chapel Hill faculty members who recieved this year’s Faculty Awards for Global Excellence from UNC Global. Other winners included Peter Coclanis, PhD, and Audra Rankin, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, FAAN.
UNC Global Affairs invites nominations from faculty, staff and students to recognize faculty members whose contributions advance the University’s “unwavering commitment to excellence as one of the world’s great research universities.”
National coalition announces initiative to help community pharmacies expand HIV prevention services
13 May 2026 - Emory University - Public health leaders from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, AIDS United, the Black Public Health Academy, and the National Pharmaceutical Association announced Wednesday a new initiative to help community pharmacies expand HIV prevention services in communities disproportionately impacted by HIV.
Rx for Change is a community-centered and led strategy that will engage pharmacies and community-based organizations, through a comprehensive training and partnership model, to increase access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and other HIV prevention services. The initiative will begin with a pilot in Georgia and Louisiana, two states experiencing high rates of new HIV diagnoses.
Caring Cross Announces Promising Clinical Data with Single-Dose anti-HIV CAR-T Cell Therapy
BOSTON, May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Caring Cross - Today, at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, Caring Cross announced early clinical data from a first-in-human Phase I/IIa trial of a novel CAR-T cell strategy in people living with HIV.
The findings, presented by principal investigator Dr. Steven Deeks of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), provide preliminary data suggesting that anti-HIV CAR-T cell therapy could lead to durable viral control, particularly in those who started HIV treatment early in the course of their infection.
British Columbia study underscores the importance of the shingles vaccine for people with HIV
May 12, 2026 - Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) - Researchers in B.C. studied more than 18,000 adults over a period of 20 years
Overall, the rate of shingles was higher among people with HIV than people without HIV
Vaccination was highly effective at reducing the risk of shingles regardless of HIV status
Herpes zoster virus causes a disease called chickenpox in children. After an outbreak of this illness, the virus goes into latency, hiding in nerves in the spine. In adults in the general population (usually beginning in people over 50 and increasing with age) whose immune systems have been weakened by age or other circumstances, the virus can come out of hiding and cause an illness called shingles.
Symptoms of shingles can include severe nerve pain and skin lesions. An outbreak can last a week or two. The pain from shingles can persist for weeks, even after skin lesions have healed. What’s more, in people whose immune systems are weakened by HIV, symptoms of shingles can be more severe and can occur earlier on (in some cases, before the age of 50). The virus can affect the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, causing inflammation in these tissues. Some research suggests that shingles is linked to an increased risk of stroke, heart disease and possibly dementia.
Researchers track the mutations that allow HIV-1 to escape broadly neutralizing antibodies
May 11, 2026 - The Rockefeller University - Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) are among the most promising new treatments for HIV, offering the potential to forego the traditional daily dose of antiretroviral drugs. In one recent clinical study of bNAbs identified and developed into therapies at Rockefeller University, participants who received a single dose of two bNAbs maintained a nearly undetectable viral load for up to 20 weeks, and a third did so for about a year. These outcomes suggest a potential future of treatment-free, long-term control of the virus.
However, HIV-1 is extraordinarily genetically diverse and highly adept at acquiring resistance to neutralizing antibodies. The pathways by which the virus escapes bNAbs remain incompletely understood across diverse HIV-1 strains. A better understanding of how different strains respond to these emerging therapies is critical as the use of bNAbs expands.
Saskatchewan ‘committed’ to addressing HIV rates but won't declare health emergency
May 11, 2026 - By Alexander Quon, Aliyah Marko-Omene - CBC News - Diagnosis is more than triple the national average and second only to Manitoba
Saskatchewan refuses to answer whether it will declare a HIV public health emergency like neighbouring Manitoba.
Manitoba’s chief public health officer declared a public health emergency last week as the province reported 19.5 new cases of HIV per 100,000 people, the highest rate of any province.
Read more...
Can a single infusion of immune cells suppress HIV for years?
A new trial found a technique similar to blood cancer treatment that kept two patients at undetectable levels for extended periods.
MAY 11, 2026 - By Jacob Ogles - ADVOCATE - A new treatment regimen helping patients with blood cancer could be effective in suppressing HIV.
Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco told The New York Times that two individuals in a trial saw HIV presence lower to undetectable levels following an experimental infusion of engineered immune cells. Detailed data on findings will soon be presented in full to the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy in Boston.
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Actor Noah Wyle Joins Broad Nonpartisan National Coalition for Week of Action to Expose Impact of $1 Trillion in Post-Midterm Healthcare Cuts
WASHINGTON, May 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Seven Days in June - Communities Urged to Join Nationwide Actions Set for June 1–7 to Demand Leaders Address Devastating H.R. 1 Consequences
A massive, nonpartisan, decentralized coalition of frontline healthcare workers, public health professionals, faith leaders, service providers, labor and civil rights groups has organized Seven Days in June: HEALTH IS PRIMARY, a week of action to expose and push back against $1 trillion in healthcare cuts scheduled to take effect later this year.
Actor and advocate Noah Wyle has joined Seven Days in June, with his support coinciding with National Nurses Week. A longtime advocate for healthcare workers, he testified before Congress last year alongside his mother, on the growing strain facing doctors, nurses and other frontline workers.
‘I'll walk alongside with you’ but more help needed, woman with HIV says as Manitoba declares health emergency
May 08, 2026 - By Arturo Chang - CBC - Emergency declaration a ‘shameful' admission of governments’ failure, elder says
“I sure learned the hard way, didn’t I?” Vanessa Roulette says.
In early 2018, the former drug addict, 45, used someone else’s needle. A few weeks later, she began to feel ill and took herself to a Winnipeg ER.
“That’s where I found out,” Roulette said. She had tested positive for HIV.
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Manitoba declares public health emergency as HIV rates rise
May 07, 2026 - By Ozten Shebahkeget - CBC - Declaration is ‘not about creating fear’: chief provincial public health officer
Manitoba has declared a public health emergency as the province continues to see some of the highest HIV rates in Canada, the provincial chief public health officer announced Thursday.
“In 2024, we reported a rate of 19.5 cases per 100,000 [people], which is roughly 3½ times that of Canada’s rate of 5.5,” Dr. Brent Roussin said at a news conference Thursday.
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President’s Medal honors biomedical researchers who developed lifesaving HIV medications
May 7, 2026 - By Mary Loftus - Emory University - More than 90% of people in the United States living with HIV — and millions worldwide — have taken at least one of the medications developed at Emory by Dennis Liotta, Raymond Schinazi and Woo-Baeg Choi.
Scientists rarely hear directly from the people whose lives they have saved or improved.
And yet, Dennis Liotta, Raymond Schinazi and Woo-Baeg Choi have had that experience. The three biomedical researchers developed key HIV antiretroviral medications that helped transform HIV from a fatal disease to a manageable condition, saving millions of lives worldwide.
“Being approached by HIV/AIDS survivors who thank me is powerful and humbling,” Liotta says. “When someone tells me, ‘I’m on that drug and it changed everything,’ or ‘You saved my son’s life,’ it makes the science feel deeply personal.”
Scientists discover how HIV hijacks a cellular ‘gateway’ to infect resting immune cells
6 May 2026 - Queen Mary University of London - The findings, produced by researchers from Queen Mary University of London and published in Nature, overturn long-held assumptions about HIV infection and could reshape understanding of how the virus establishes hidden reservoirs in the body.
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism by which HIV-1 can infect resting immune cells. The discovery challenges a decades-old assumption in HIV biology, andopens new avenues for understanding how the virus persists in the body, despite treatment.
For HIV to successfully infect T-cells, the immune cells it primarily targets, it must deliver its genetic material into acell’s nucleus. A tightly guarded compartment, the nucleus is surrounded by a structure called the nuclear pore complex (NPC), which acts as a selective gateway controlling what enters and exits. The HIV capsid, the protective shell surrounding the virus's genetic material, is unusually large, and how it squeezes through this barrier has long puzzled scientists.
United and Unbreakable: The HIV Movement at 45
May 6, 2026 - By Harold Phillips - POZ - Join NMAC at the 30th U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS (#2026USCHA). The seven conference tracks are the beginning of an incredible convening!
It’s been less than a month since we wrapped our successful 10th Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit in Chicago, where we broadened the dialog around building syndemically integrated systems.
I now invite you to join us at the 30th U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA) in sunny California, where we begin the conversation about putting whole-person health at the center of those systems. Our seven conference tracks are just the beginning of an incredible convening!
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‘Stronger together to end AIDS’ is the resounding call at the International Francophone Conference on HIV
GENEVA 6 May 2026 - UNAIDS - As the 13th International Francophone Conference on HIV (AFRAVIH) ends, the resounding call from UNAIDS and partners is to continue to move forward together to end AIDS by 2030.
Addressing participants Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director said, “Ending AIDS has never been only a medical challenge it has always been shaped — and determined — by inequality. Our greatest breakthroughs came when we closed gaps in access to scientific innovation, to finance, and to rights driven by political leadership, global solidarity, and a powerful community-led movement.”
‘Spreading like wildfire’: Fiji grapples with soaring HIV cases
Suva, Fiji - May 6, 2026 - The Fiji Times - As evening falls in Fiji’s capital, a steady stream of people approaches a makeshift clinic that is a first line of defense against one of the world’s fastest-growing HIV epidemics.
In the South Pacific nation — a popular tourist destination of just under a million people — there were over 2,000 new HIV cases recorded last year, a 26% increase from 2024.
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Sal Lopes: Living with AIDS
TEANECK, N.J., May 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Leica Camera - Join us for the opening of our new exhibition 'Living with AIDS' from local photographer Sal Lopes.
June 4th from 6-8PM, Leica Gallery Boston
Leica Camera is pleased to present Living with AIDS, a landmark exhibition by acclaimed photographer Sal Lopes, opening Thursday, June 4, 2026, from 6 to 8 PM at Leica Gallery Boston.
On view through August 9, 2026, the exhibition offers a powerful and deeply human look at how Boston experienced the AIDS crisis between 1988 and 1992.
This historic body of work centers on three interconnected narratives: the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, the Buddy Program organized by the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, and the daily life of the Boyce family, whose young daughter was living with AIDS. Lopes's photographs capture moments of grief, resilience, intimacy, and care, creating a visual record of a community navigating loss while finding connection and strength.
Canadian study finds that many more people could be using HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis to reduce HIV risk
May 5, 2026 - Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) - There are at least 122,000 people in Canada who could benefit from HIV prevention medication
It is estimated that only 19% of these people are accessing HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
To decrease new HIV infections in Canada, barriers to accessing PrEP need to be removed
The use of HIV medicines to help prevent contracting HIV is called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
Currently approved options for PrEP include the following:
TDF + FTC (sold as a pill called Truvada and available in generic formulations)
TAF + FTC (sold as a pill called Descovy)
cabotegravir (ultimately taken as an injection every two months)
In addition, later this year a long-acting injectable formulation of the drug lenacapavir for use as PrEP will be approved in Canada. What’s more, several years from now there may be long-acting pills to provide protection from HIV that can be taken as infrequently as once a month.
Yet HIV infections continue to occur in Canada.
Rewriting the Heart Risk Equation for People With HIV
Newswise — Chapel Hill, NC - 4-May-2026 - by UNC Health - UNC Health - A new project led by Thibaut Davy-Mendez, PhD, MSPH, at the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, funded by the Gilead Research Scholars Program, is taking aim at a longstanding gap in HIV care: accurately predicting who is at highest risk for cardiovascular disease.
Backed by a two-year award from Gilead, the study will evaluate whether adding a specialized lab marker, lipoprotein(a), to existing risk calculators can better predict heart disease among people living with HIV. The work draws on large-scale data from the Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (CNICS) research network and could reshape how clinicians assess and prevent cardiovascular events in this population.
TB costs in poor countries exceed those of HIV, estimates suggest
May 4, 2026 - By Mary Van Beusekom, MS - University of Minnesota - Active cases of tuberculosis (TB) cost low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with heavy TB burdens $3.5 billion more in current annual and future lost earnings and medical expenses than HIV, yet receives substantially less funding, researchers in Peru and the United States write in a new study published in BMJ Global Health.
The researchers used a model to estimate the economic costs of TB and HIV to households and the economy, including factors such as the effects of parental disability or death on children’s future earnings, in 25 LMICs. The analysis was based on data from sources such as the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Tuberculosis Report, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease dataset, and Demographic Household Surveys.
Hiding HIV numbers proving disastrous for Pakistan, health experts warn
Karachi - May 03, 2026 - By M. Waqar Bhatti - The News Pakistan - Accusing federal and provincial health authorities of “criminally hiding the actual HIV burden,” infectious diseases experts and leading medical bodies on Saturday warned that lack of transparency and weak prevention efforts are allowing the virus to spread rapidly across Pakistan, including among children and low risk populations.
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Plight Of People Living With HIV, AIDS Unsettles Me – Abia First Lady
May 3, 2026 - By Kalu Eziyi - Leadership Newspapers - Wife of Abia State governor, Mrs Priscilla Otti, said she is committed to caring for people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in the state, saying their plight unsettles her.
The first lady stated this at a meeting on the “State HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan (SSP) 2025 to 2027” in Umuahia, the state capital, underlining the need for people to ascertain their HIV status.
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National AIDS Memorial Announces Recipients of the Mary Bowman Arts in Activism Award
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, May 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- National AIDS Memorial - National AIDS Memorial names 2026 Mary Bowman Award artists, celebrating art activism advancing health and social justice; applications now open.
The National AIDS Memorial announces that Charlotte Isenberg of Appalachian State University, Mariela Morales-Inturias of NYU Tisch, Sam Charney of NYU Tisch, and Sydney Wright of the University of San Francisco are the latest recipients of the Mary Bowman Arts in Activism Award. In addition to announcing its awardees, the National AIDS Memorial reopened its application for 2026.
Now in its sixth year, the Award honors the life of Mary Bowman, the poet, advocate, author and singer who passed away from AIDS in 2019 at age 30.
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